The six-story building contains a French-inspired facade and mansard roof, which are integrated into the base of the adjoining skyscraper at 712 Fifth Avenue.

The third through fifth floors contain 276 decorative glass panes, the only documented architectural work by René Lalique in the United States.

It was commissioned by owner and real estate investor Charles A. Gould, who, foreseeing the neighborhood shift from residential to commercial use, wished to replace the facade of the brownstone.

The first two stories have limestone-faced piers and a cornice supported by corbel brackets; they are treated as a single continuous section of the facade.

[3] The third- through fifth-story facade contains intertwining vine and flower designs, which according to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission are tulips.

By the first decade of the 20th century, owner and real estate investor Charles A. Gould, foreseeing the neighborhood shift from residential to commercial use, wished to replace the facade of the brownstone.

[13] The Real Estate Record and Guide wrote in December 1908 that the remodeled building had "a maximum of light and air on each floor, the general composition being good and at the same time securing the effect of proper supports for the upper stories by means of the side piers carried all the way down to the sidewalk level".

Lalique created an Art Nouveau-style composition of panes of glass decorated with flower vines, large enough to go from the third through fifth floors.

[27][28] Hooks & Wax was hired to remodel the building for the Transportation Corporation's subsidiaries, which included Trans Caribbean Airways, DC Transit System, International Railways of Central America, and Spanish-language newspaper El Diario La Prensa.

[27] The Transportation Corporation was owned by O. Roy Chalk, who sold Trans Caribbean Airways to American Airlines in 1971 but continued to maintain his offices at 714 Fifth Avenue.

Chalk retained his third-floor offices while Juschi International opened a luxury women's sportswear and accessories shop on the basement and first, second, and fourth stories.

[33] The Municipal Art Society advocated for the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission to give the building official-landmark status,[4] and both were designated in early 1985.

[38] The Landmarks Preservation Commission also approved a Certificate of Appropriateness that allowed the new skyscraper, 712 Fifth Avenue, to be erected behind the existing buildings.

[39] Steadsol Fifth Associates, which was developing the skyscraper, had its alteration permits for the Coty Building revoked following the landmark designations.

In 1990, Beyer Blinder Belle restored the facade for the opening of Henri Bendel's flagship store in New York City.

"[41] The Henri Bendel store behind the Coty Building's facade closed at the end of 2018,[42][43] and jeweler Harry Winston leased the space in 2020.